City computer whizz was handed 12-month prison term last year
A former IT staffer at an international law firm has been barred from working within the legal profession following an attack on a paralegal.
Varun Krishnakumar, who used to work on the IT helpdesk at Fieldfisher’s London office, was handed a 12-month prison sentence at the Old Bailey last year after being found guilty of sexual assault. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £100 and was placed on the sex offenders register for ten years.
According to a decision published on the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) website yesterday, Krishnakumar is now barred from working within the legal profession without prior permission from the Law Society. This is because: “it would be undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice.” The order is effective immediately.
Legal Cheek reported at the time how Krishnakumar had approached a paralegal in the female toilets during a Fieldfisher Christmas bash. The 26-year-old, who can’t be named for legal reasons, said to the court:
I said ‘this is the girls’ toilets’ because I presumed he had wandered in by accident thinking it was the men’s. He started walking towards me and just said ‘it’s fine, don’t worry about it’.
Krishnakumar then proceeded to sexually assault her. Hearing the paralegal’s cries for help, a male trainee then came to rescue her. The married computer guru — who left the firm shortly after the incident — was arrested later that evening.
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